Day 7: the MAGIC ends

. . . and just like that our vacation was o-v-e-r!  How can it be?  We had a ticket to go to the parks, but Colin decided he wanted to just hang out at the hotel.  I did not wake up until 9:10am which was so nice.  I got up and packed our bags and dropped them for check-in directly to the airport.  So nice that you can check bags at hotel and they transfer them to MCO airport for you without you!  I made us a lunch reservation at noon so we headed to let Colin have some fun before we ate.  I had promised him we would spend some time at the arcade.  We had plenty of time so let him spend his $10.  He was beyond excited that he was the high score of a game he loves . . .

I had read a lot of great reviews of Beaches and Cream which is located in our hotel.  So thought we would give it a try . . . we did not have any dining credits left from our meal plan so it was an out of pocket meal.  I thought our meal was reasonable considering it was a table service meal.  It cost us $28.32.  Colin had a hot dog and hot fudge sundae . . .

. . . and I had a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup and shared his small sundae; yes that is a small!  Again, I drank a ton of brewed iced tea too so got my $3 worth!  We headed to the Beach Club Marketplace to spend our last three snack credits . . . can't let them go to waste!  And then it was time to catch our ride to the airport . . .

Final Dining Plan Summary
3 Snacks:  $14.28
TOTAL $14.28

Review of Dining Plan
Total Paid for Dining Plan:  $363.84
Total Used for Dining Plan:  $366.74

I did not factor in that we both received a refillable mug to use at the resorts . . . free soda and coffee for our entire stay.  I think this would have cost us about $18 for each mug so that would be $36 for the two of us.  I would never buy each of us one since I don't drink soda but would probably buy one . . . one soda cost $3 so if you use it once or twice a day you earn your money.  The Yacht Club did not have a refill station near the lobby so we had to trek to The Beach Club Marketplace for a drink which was a pain.  We only used our mugs when at the pool so at least once a day.  So overall we saved a couple of dollars . . . we ate a lot on these three days!  I think in the future we will not do the dining plan and just pay as we go.  I think eating at Be Our Guest was worth every penny so would do that again; Colin still talks about how awesome his steak was; he let me have one bite.  I was totally shocked at how tender and juicy the steak really tasted..  While I loved my burger at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, Colin's steak was not that great . . . trust me he ate it but it was not nearly as good of a steak that he ate on Friday.  If I was paying out of pocket, he would order a burger for half the price!  I think for us on this trip, it was fine . . . there were a few table service meals that we wanted to try so it was worth it.  Maybe next time we will do the quick service plan and then just pay out of pocket for one or two table service meals.  The portions are huge and could easily have been shared.  Unfortunately, Colin is all about the meat, and I love my salads so a compromise would be difficult!  If you do your homework, you could save a lot of money . . . I just wanted to 'earn' what we paid for our dining plan . . . so mission accomplished!

4 days (Saturday night-Tuesday night) of non Dining Plan eating:  $240.06 . . . we only ate snacks and counter meals; we did not go hungry . . . no table meals which can really be a fun experience but three days in a row of such huge meals is really a lot but no regrets and glad I took the time to do the analysis . . . so basically it is up to what you want to eat.  I really wanted the three table service meals so am satisfied.

***Here is one last number . . . we purchased 11 bottles of water . . . ELEVEN . . . that means we spent $27.50 on water.***